What came after
by Caynus
Summary: This is a story takes place after the Hellsing manga, about what became of London and how ALucard and Integra faired.  It is slightly AU and is AxI.  Contains torture, violence, and other mature themes.
1. Broken Bones

Darkness began to sweep across the battered land as the Sun slowly shut her weary eyes. The receding light briefly caught on the twisted metal that stuck out from the Earth, reminding one of a gleaming rib cage from some ancient behemoth, long since picked dry by any vultures flocking about. And essentially, that is precisely what it was. The remains of a mighty behemoth, a creature that once stood at the top of the world, towering far above the lesser species. This creature had once controlled the world. Even after a more ferocious behemoth had come along and knocked it from its place of glory, it was still one of the dominant creatures of the modern world. But in one night that had all change. For that once mighty behemoth had died. And not a kind death either. No, it had been violent. It had taken a lot to bring down this old giant.

Yes, London had fallen. This once mighty city was in ruins. Its people were dead, its streets choked with blood, its old buildings reduced to little more then twisted metal. But all was not lost. Many of the citizens had managed to evade the slaughter. They had somehow taken cover and hid from the attacking forces. Or maybe they had managed to find a spot where the fighting hadn't progressed to yet. Or maybe they were just lucky. Whatever the reason, they began to slowly pulled themselves out of the shadows, surveying the wreckage with hollow eyes, their minds reeling. For what they had seen shocked and terrified them. It was a nightmare come true. They could only stare at the remains of their once noble city and remember what had transpired the night before.

They remembered clutching one another as the zeppelins approached, remembered cowering in fear as the soldiers dressed similarly to the KKK poured out of the opposing helicopters, remembered frantic screams and twisted bodies as their friends, family, and neighbors were cut down by bullets from all sides. They remembered the heat of the fires, the deafening sound of buildings crumpling, the whizzing of stray bullets that flitted past their ears, the taste of blood as people they loved were killed. They remembered the terror. But most of all, they remembered HIM. Their unlikely savior. Even after all they had witnessed their minds still tried to believe that it was impossible. But as much as they tried, deep down they knew it was true. They had seen HIS army, stared into the pitted eyes of the dead. They had felt the chill it placed on their hearts, so deep down that not even the shock and terror of before could touch. But he was gone now. And so was his army, leaving behind no pliable trace of their existence. No, all that was left was the corpses, both human and metal. For how could the dead die twice? As the citizens of London pulled themselves from the wreckage, one thought rang clear. What would happen now?


	2. Nightmares

Author's note: I have taken a few liberties with the storyline. If you are not caught up with the manga there will be some spoilers but after a certain point, my story deviates from the original storyline. One of the main points I've changed is Walter, and later chapters will tell what happened to him.

I do not own Hellsing or its characters, nor am I getting paid for this. Hellsing belongs to Kohta Hirano

A lone figure stood staring off into the coming darkness. A gentle breeze caressed her checks as it swept by, ruffling her long blond hair. She let her hand fall, coming to rest against the cool metal railing. She became completely still, almost no sign of life, well, except for the occasional puff from a cigar clenched tightly between her teeth. The flare illuminated ice blue eyes hidden behind large wireframe glasses. Those eyes continued to stare off into the distance, every once in awhile catching a flash of light coming from the ruins of London.

It had been almost three weeks since that day. As word had gotten out of the attack, all of London's allies had rushed to their aid. But the battle had long since been over. They could do little more then help with the clean up. And to help rebuild. She took another puff of her cigar. Yes, London will never be the same. All that history destroyed, all those life's lost. And for what?

A knock on her office door interrupted her musings.

"May I come in Sir Integra?" came the muffled voice.

She let out a quiet sigh before leaving the silent night behind. "Yes, come in Walter." She said past the cigar still dangling from her lips. With one last glance into the dark, she firmly closed the balcony doors closed. It was as if she could close out the nightmare, she mused. Integra turned to find Walter standing patiently in front of her desk. Snuffing her cigar in an ever-reliant silver ashtray, she lifted her eyes to meet her butler, raised a questioning eyebrow.

Walter dipped his head slightly at the glance. "Sir Integra, all this musing can't be good for you. You have done nothing for the past few weeks but stare down at the ruins." He raised his head and stared at her firmly in the eyes. "It is not your fault."

Integra remained motionless. When she didn't respond and the silence began to reach the point of becoming uncomfortable, Walter opening his mouth to continue. He was very much surprised when he saw the leader of the Hellsing organization bow her head. What came out of her mouth next almost made his jaw drop. He had been expecting some sort of reprimand. Instead he heard Integra's quietly reply, "Isn't it?" A solitary tear trickled down her cheek.

He quickly shut his mouth and peered intently at her. Never in all his years of service to the Hellsing family had he seen Integra act in such a manner. She always strong, never taking criticism well. She never let anyone talk to her so boldly. Yes, he admitted, out of everyone in this Hellsing manor, he seemed to get away with more then others. But the women standing before her looked like a lost little girl not the proud woman who always faced her enemies unflinching. In fact, she looked more like a lost little girl then when she had actually _been_ a lost little girl.

Another tear followed the first as Integra gritted, "How is it not my fault? They came for me and mine. And I was the one that ordered Him to do _that_?!" Her voice cracked as more emotion began to pour out of her. "All those people Walter. All because - "

Walter did the only thing he could think of. He did something that he hadn't done since she was a little girl, mourning the loss of her father. He took her in his arms. He held her close as a racking sob escaped her lips. Her tears soon soaked through his outer shirt but he paid it no heed. All that mattered at this moment was the trembling woman in his arms. Integra buried her face into his shoulder and he held onto her as cried for all the people that had been lost.

After a few moments, her sobs became less intense, quieter. Walter continued to hold her closes as her body began to hiccup as she tried to get herself under control. Soon even that had stopped. She finally lifted her head off his shoulder, and red puff eyes rose to meet his brown ones. Without a second thought Walter lifted his hand and brushed aside damp tendrils that had managed to stick to her face.

He had always felt a sort of fatherly bond to her. Her father had been a very busy man and it had been up to Walter to do most of the care giving to Integra when she was a child. That feeling had not dissipated just because she had grown up. Rather, he had forced it away. Integra had clearly never asked nor wanted any such affections. Until now that is.

"Come on," he murmured. "Lets get you to bed." She blinked rapidly a few times. He smiled inside. Yes that little girl was still in there. He began to take her hand to walk her to the bedroom but she pulled away.

He turned to her, her mouth open but no words could seem to make their way out. Gently he wrapped his fingers around her elbow and drew her towards the door. This time she didn't resist. He guided her down the hallway towards her chambers. Upon reaching her room he quickly grabbed a few of her sleeping garments and deposited them and the exhausted woman into the bathroom.

He started to say something along the lines of 'I'll be outside if you need me,' but stopped. No, she would not appreciate that in the least. Instead he gave her a gentle smile and shut the door behind him, leaving her to get ready for bed by herself.

As the door shut, locking Walter on the outside, Integra seemed to snap out of her trance. She stared at the plain wooden door for a few moments before looking at the garments he had placed neatly on the top of the toilet seat. She let her eyes flicker to the mirror and what she saw surprised her. Leaning further forward, Integra examined the haggard woman before her. Those ice blue eyes seemed to be trying to hide behind the puffy skin of her eye sockets. Her hair was a mess, sticking out at odd angles and clinging to parts of her face. Her skin was pale, ashen. Faintly she could detect the trails the tears left behind, streaking her face.

She felt her eyelids droop, and exhaustion slammed into her, almost buckling her knees. She managed to keep her feet by clinging onto the bathroom counter. With one final glance at herself in the mirror, she quickly peeled her old suit from her body. It was then she realized just how long it had been since she last slept. She had put that suit on three days ago. Had it really been that long? She couldn't remember doing anything worthwhile in that time either. She hadn't seen anyone except Walter. Not even Him. As she finished pulling on her sleeping ware, she realized that she hadn't seen Him since the day of the attack. She turned suddenly, staring intently into the mirror, frantically searching for those red eyes. The only eyes that looked back at her were her own puffy blue ones.

She heard a quiet knock on the door. "Integra are you okay?"

She managed to stumble over to the doorknob and unlock the door. Walter's concerned face stared back at her. Her own face must have been that of confusion because Walter continued, "You've been in there an hour Sir Integra."

She felt her self blink. Was she losing track of time? With Walter's help she managed to get nestled down into her soft inviting bed. As soon as her body touched the mattress, she felt herself drifting away. She felt Walter arranging the covers around her and his gentle kiss on her forehead and then she was gone.

She was burning. Flames licked her legs and began to caress its way up her body. She tried to run, to escape the pain but the tendrils wrapped themselves around her legs, tripping her. She felt herself fall, pain shooting through her arms. And then the fire was on her hands, nipping at her stomach. She tried to drag herself free but the fire was everywhere. She turned to look back and saw the flesh on her legs turn black and peel away, exposing the muscle, then bone. All she could do was scream.

She was being crushed. The heavy weight of her office had come toppling down on her. The ceiling had given way, plummeting down on her. She was trapped. She felt the weight of the metal compressing her, trying to flatten her. She felt her rips pop, one by one as the weight had its way with her. She couldn't breath. Her lungs were screaming for air. The only breath she did managed to gasp in was filled with dust and other small particles. She tried to struggle but the shift in weight made the building creak. The next instant the floor had given way, becoming a gaping chasm ready to swallow her whole. She began to plummet to her death. All she could do was scream.

She was being shot. The bullet had slammed into her stomach. She could only watch as the blood welled up between her fingers. She tried frantically to keep the blood in but another shot followed. The bullet inside her began to eat her alive. It pushed its way through, shredding whatever got in its way. Then it found an exit and left. Half of her hand was gone. She tried to keep her intestines from spilling out onto the floor. She felt her knees give way. Her stomach had been pierced. She watched dimly as the remains of her dinner spilled out, showering her intestines with stomach acid. She tried to reach out, to put her organs back inside her, the way it should be. But another bullet ripped out of the darkness and entered her chest. She tried to draw a breath but she felt like she was drowning. She felt blood gurgle out of her mouth. She felt her body grow heavy and she tried to muster up the energy to keep on fighting. All she could do was scream.

Then it was dark. She turned around and around, her eyes frantically trying to detect any kind of light. She felt fear well up inside her. Wait. There. She turned. A light. Glowing red. Eyes. They were floating closer to her. Something inside her told her to run. She turned but they were everywhere. She couldn't escape. She tried to scream but something covered her mouth. She tried to struggle but she couldn't move. All she could do was watch those eyes come for her. Suddenly the world was bathed in a red glow. She turned frantic eyes, searching for some kind of escape. But she was surrounded by the dead. Rotting hands reached for her, gaping mouths screaming in agony. Bony hands pulled at her, grabbing her, touching her. They pinched and squeezed, pulled and twisted. She screamed as one of them found their way up her skirt. She heard a laugh. Her eyes turned to meet red ones. He stood before her in all his glory. He grabbed her, his arms encircling her waist, dragging her towards him. "You killed them all," it whispered. Large fangs descended towards her exposed next. She felt her life being stolen from her, felt the harsh tongue of the monster eating her alive. She couldn't even scream.


End file.
